Submit the original form to the Office for International Programs, keep a copy for yourself, and bring a photocopy to your academic advisor.

OR

Get a new course approval if you need a course approved that is NOT in the database, has not been approved for the requirement you need, or is approved in the database for CORE. New approvals are granted by appropriate Loyola faculty or staff. See the list below. The process is explained on the Course Approval Form.

Keep a copy of the form for yourself, bring a photocopy to your academic advisor, and upload a scan of the document to your predeparture checklist, located in the study abroad application.

Further Items of note regarding course approvals

In order to take Tier 2 while abroad, students must have already taken the Tier 1 Foundational Courses in the relevant Knowledge Areas.

Only get courses approved if you want them to count as something other than a general elective. All classes taken on Loyola approved study abroad programs will automatically count at minimum as general elective credit toward your Loyola degree. If you only need elective credit for a specific class, it does not need to be approved by anyone-it will automatically show up on your Loyola transcript with credits and a letter grade.

Know what degree requirements you need to meet while you're abroad. Before getting study abroad courses approved, you should be familiar with your LUC degree requirements and which ones you might complete while abroad. It is strongly recommended that you consult your academic advisor.

Get more courses approved than you will actually take while abroad. The availability of courses abroad can be unpredictable, and course schedules are often not provided far in advance. You will likely not know the exact courses you'll take abroad until after your arrival. For these reasons, Loyola suggests that before you study abroad, you have at least 12 possible courses (if you need to fulfill major, minor of core requirements) approved for every semester abroad. The 12 courses could be ones already approved in the database or ones that you get approved through the course approval process. To check on what courses may be offered during your program and term, consult the study abroad program's web-site or print materials, or check with the Office for International Programs.

It is strongly advised that you obtain course approvals before you depart for your study abroad program. That way, when you arrive, you'll be prepared to register for classes with your list of approved courses in mind.

To find out how many credits a course will count toward at Loyola, check with the Office for International Programs. OIP is responsible for determining the number of Loyola credit hours your courses abroad will be worth. In most cases, you will be able to know their credit worth before you leave. OIP has "Course Enrollment Guidelines" available that explain the credit conversion system for each program. Please contact studyabroad@luc.edu to request an enrollment guide for your program.

Although some approved study abroad courses may be assigned a corresponding LUC course number, you will not see this course number on your LOCUS enrollment screen. For example, the USAC program's "History of London" course was approved as HIST 319 at Loyola. If you are enrolled in that course while abroad, you will not see "HIST 319" on your LOCUS enrollment screen or on your Loyola transcript. Instead, as a study abroad student, you'll be enrolled in a single, general study abroad placeholder course while you're abroad. This changes after you return. Click here for details.

Course approvals are subject to Loyola departmental policies and minimum grade regulations. Final awarding of credit for your course approvals will be dependent upon departmental limitations regarding number of courses completed off-campus that may apply toward major/minor requirements. (Check with the Loyola departments, schools or colleges on such limitations.) After course completion, approved courses will also be subject to college regulations regarding minimum satisfactory grades required for courses to count toward specific degree requirements.